There’s really
no need for
really heavy
bullets in the
.308.”
magazine. Consequently, it's
difficult to get enough velocity
to make heavy controlled
expansion bullets perform
properly in the short case.
There's really no need for really
heavy bullets in the .308
anyway. If you need more
penetration for heavy game,
use an all-copper bullet such as
the 165gn Barnes X which
gives 99-100 percent weight
retention and delivers deep
penetrating bone smashing
power. Alternative choices
include the 165gn Nosler E-Tip
and Hornady GMX.
Here's where the
Weathermark's standard length
action offers an advantage, for
if the throat is also long, bullets
can be seated farther out for an
effective increase in case
capacity, But overall cartridgelength generally must be held
down to about 71mm or about
12mm shorter than the .30-06
unless the block is removed
from the magazine and a longer
follower fitted.
The .308 is a versatile
cartridge, but give the light
100 and 110gn bullets a miss.
The 125gn AccuBond, 130gn
Speer hollow- point and 130gn
Hornady spitzer are better
choices for everything from
varmints to ferals. For deer use
a streamlined 150gn bullet
like the the Nosler 150gn E-Tip
or Partition, load it to top
velocity and you'll find the.308
shoots surprisingly flat.
The best propellants for
bullets weighing from 125 to
165 grains are AR2208 and
W-748. Velocities of 3200fps can
be attained with the 130gn
Speer from a 600mm barrel
with these propellants. In fact,
these powders along with RE-15
and BM 8208 remain top choices
with all bullet weights in the
.308, but slower burning W-760
and AR2209 are better with the
heavier 180- 200 grainers.Accuracy? The slender barrel
of the Weatherby Mark V
Weathermark punched several
one-inch three shot groups from
100 metres using the Hornady
Superformance 150gn SST
factory load and duplicated that
performance with Sellier &
Bellot's 150gn SPCE loading.
Federal's premium fodder
shrunk group size to just .85.
The average group size, however,
was closer to 1.25 MoA.
In my old age I've developed
a fondness for highly accurate
lightweight rifles that don't
give you fallen arches carrying
them around. At the same time,
I know light rifles aren't ideal
for every hunt. If you want the
kind of impressive long-range
performance cartridges like
Weatherby's .30-378 Magnum
provides, you need extra heft
and also a muzzle brake and
ear protection. For my own
part, I'm fully satisfied with
Weatherby's traditional Mark V
Magnum rifles chambered for
the relatively milder .270 and
.300 Weatherby Magnum
rounds. They do churn up
increased recoil, however,
more than most want to
tolerate in a lightweight rifle.
Weatherby now offers the
original Mark V rifles and the
Lightweight and Ultra
Lightweight versions covering
the gamut of hunter needs. But
offering the option of a
Weathermark in a standard
6-lug action as well as the
magnum 9-lug action is a
welcome move. The scaled-
down Mark V actions handle
standard hunting rounds (up
to the .30-06) that have stood
the test of time. The big Mark
V Magnums remain the
company's mainstay, but I'm
betting the scaled-down
Weathermark is going to gain
quite a large following.3 0 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ MAY 2018TEST
REPORTusing a standard length action,
it would have made a neater
assemblage, but as it is, the test
gun weighed all-up only 8lb.
Most of the .308 rifles I've
tested have 457 to 500mm
barrels but I much prefer those
with 550mm barrels. I once
conducted a series comparing
two .308 rifles, one with an
457mm barrel and one with a
550mm barrel. With bullets of
150gn and lighter, velocity
favoured the longer barrel by
150 fps, but with heavier
bullets the velocity difference
was lower running from 40 to
85 fps. So I am all in favour of
the Weatherby's light 600mm
barrel which will increase the
performance of the little .308,
bringing it closer to the .30-06's
performance, and this is where
the standard length action is
an advantage.
The .308 is an easy cartridge
to load for because it is not in
the least finicky about powder
types or charge weights. The
majority of bolt action .308
rifles generally shoot well with
a variety of loads, but there are
several things to keep in mind
then you load for it. Bullets
heavier than 180 grains are
really impractical for use in a
short action rifle. The bullet
must be seated deeply into the
powder space in order to
function through the shortACCURACY RESULTS WEATHERBY
MARK V WEATHERMARK
Factory Ammunition
Bullet weight gns
Velocity
(fps)Average Group Size
(inches)Sellier & Bellot 150 SPCE 2780 1.10
Hornady Superformance
150 SST
2998 1.25
HANDLOADS
Bullet Weight
(gns)
Powder
(type)Charge
(gns)Velocity
(fps)Group Size
(inches)Sierra 150 GameKing AR2206H 45 2810 1.20
Match 155 SPBT AR2206H 4 4 2816 1.10
Hornady 168 BTHP Match AR2206H 42.5 2675 1.00
Average of five 3-shot groups fired at 100 metres. Super-X cases and Winchester WLR
primers were used in all loads. Velocities are averages of 15 rounds measured at the
muzzle with a Magnetospeed chronograph.
6
Receiver is pillar bedded with
epoxy around the recoil lug and
under rear tang.